Easyjet Collaborates on Electric Passenger Jet

A company promising the eco dream of electric flight says it might have a model ready, oh, within about ten years or so, with budget flier Easyjet helping steer the development on the commercial side of things.

They've thought up a good name for the company at least -- Wright Electric. They say that within a decade they might be able to come up with an e-plane that's able to shuffle 150 people distances of up to 300 miles, presumably followed by a week-long turnaround for the thing to recharge.

Wright Electric thinks that removing the need to pay for fuel might make flying even cheaper than it is now (as long as you only bring a rucksack), although enough electricity to haul 150 people and an aeroplane is going to need quite the expensive battery.

The company has been assembled from a team that had prior development funding from NASA, which sounds great until you read the plan. It's all relying on battery technology getting significantly better, with the plane perhaps being bumped down to hybrid status if there's not a huge leap in power cell technology in the coming years. [BBC]